The Alphabet Lovers

Author's Note - Introduction

Years ago when I was a teen at the height of discovering my sexuality and coming to terms with what my body was capable of, I met an older gentleman who became sort of my mentor. We never had any sexual relations, but he opened the doors to an entirely new world of discovering what was in store for a young gay man like myself. He taught me the infinite amount of pleasure and fun someone can have when they understand what it is that they truly want. He told me that in his youth, he kept a journal of his sexual odysseys. Although he meant for it to be his passion project, it ended up being nothing but scattered footnotes and ramblings. He told me he wished he was better organized and properly recorded all of his adventures. That gave me an idea for this book of short stories.

I will not recount how many men I've been with in my life because a god fearing southern belle like myself would never reveal such a thing, however there are at least 26 of them that would make up some interesting stories. And the reason why I've chosen this number is because there are also 26 letters to the alphabet. I have assigned a fictional name to each of the men I've had real life experiences with and have compiled them into a collection of short stories.

These stories are my own and they give a true representation of my deepest inner perspective that I have never shared before in this capacity. Although exploring sexuality is the common thread that strings these stories, not all of them are steamy or have happy and romantic endings. There are some stories that are strange, uncomfortable and sometimes distressing. However, each experience taught me something new about myself and ultimately benefited me in a positive way, even if the experience itself was not positive. It is important for me to showcase the diversity of gay romances and sexual encounters. I want to give a first hand account of how complex and multilayered gay relationships are and to shift the narratives that have been placed on us by people who aren't gay men.

I am also at fault for perpetuating the stereotypes of gay sex and romance because it is so ingrained in our social norms but I want to break away from that. And because the majority of gay men in my experience uses Grindr as a means for hook-ups, there seems to be a lot of biased opinions. I want to dive into the nuanced and sometimes less flattering aspects of these sort of hook-ups that mainstream media may not always discuss or show. I think Looking on HBO, when it was still running, touches on some of these story lines. And I'm sure that there are many indie films, shows, books and podcasts out there that deals with these topics, so I don't want to give the impression that I'm somehow a pioneer or that I'm not appreciative. However, I think that my short stories will give an innovative outlook to both homo and hetero readers alike. My stories will hopefully give an in depth raw look into some very personal parts of my life and make someone think differently of the gay experience. My ultimate goal is for the reader to get a better sense of how a modern gay man navigates through the ever-chaotic world of gay hook-ups and relationships. And I hope the reader walks away feeling like they can relate to some of these stories and feel as if they can also share their stories, all while having a good laugh.

So here are my alphabet lovers, from A to Z.